Congratulations to Gill Banham on her Retirement

Gill Banham – Retirement Interview

Contamac’s HR Director, Gill Banham, retires after working for Contamac for the past nine years. In this interview, we reflect on Gill’s time at Contamac and the pivotal role she played in the growth and development of the company.

How did your time at Contamac begin?

I started my journey with Contamac on 23rd September 2015. Initially this was as an HR Consultant providing strategic HR support at a time when Rob McGregor was delivering his vision for the growth and development of the company.

How has the company evolved since you’ve worked here?

At this time, we had 68 employees, and we now have 103. The company had recently moved into Carlton House and with all the new space we were sure we would never fully fill the building. With the growth plans coming to fruition, it did not take long until we required additional space, and the Medical Device Department moved into Media House. Many of our processes relied on manual intervention e.g. the trimming lines and as we automated our processes, we moved into Iris House to accommodate all our lathes and robotic arms. In 2019, I moved into the permanent position of HR Director, which was one of the best career moves I have made.

What have been some of your Contamac highlights?

There have been so many highlights during my career at Contamac, probably one of the most challenging, yet personally rewarding was during COVID. As a team, we had to manage and support everyone in coping with the uncertainty of the situation and yet keep the business going, to be stronger and ready for when the crisis was over. It was a fantastic team effort by everyone.

What are your retirement plans?

Everyone asks about retirement plans and that is a difficult one as the first thing I have to focus on is recovering from my hip surgery and then prepare my house for sale next year, downsize and find my new home, so I am definitely going to be busy!

Any closing comments?

It was not an easy decision to retire as I have loved every moment of my time at Contamac. I have worked with some fabulous people, and I am going to miss everyone. I look forward to hearing that Contamac goes from strength to strength, and I wish everyone health and happiness for the future.

Rob shared his thoughts on Gill's retirement, commenting:

Gill brought an exceptional balance of HR leadership combined with an excellent commercial acumen that delivered a completely fresh approach to Contamac’s people strategy. Over the years, everyone in the company has benefitted from Gill’s specialist knowledge and approach, all designed to maintain and enhance our culture and most importantly, looking after our people. During her tenure, Gill has made such a positive impact on our HR department, our people and the business, she should be immensely proud of all her achievements. I cannot thank Gill enough for her unwavering support over the years, she is one of the best business partners I have ever had the pleasure to work with and is someone who I hold with the upmost respect. Gill, I, and all at Contamac, wish you all the very best of health and happiness in your retirement, you absolutely deserve it.

Rob McGregor

Managing Director